I Hear Design: the i+s podcast

Well, folks, that's a wrap! We just returned from NeoCon and Design Days in Chicago, and the energy at The MART and Fulton Market was palpable. In this extended episode of I Hear Design, i+s Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen sits down with NeoCon movers and shakers, including IIDA's CEO Cheryl Durst, Hightower's co-founder and CEO, Natalie Hartkopf, Mantra Inspired Furniture's CEO Susan Pilat...

In this episode of I Hear Design, we talk to interiors+sources' long-time partner, journalist and educator Kenn Busch, about the launch of the new Climate Positive Solutions Gallery at NeoCon 2024 . As the founder of Material Intelligence , Kenn is a go-to expert about educational messaging around architectural materials, informed by years of research. He talks about the evolution of the Climate P...

In this episode of the "I Hear Design" podcast, host Robert Nieminen discusses the topic of specifying sustainable and healthy furniture, focusing on understanding various sustainability standards. He is joined by Steve Kooy, technical director for health and sustainability at BIFMA , who provides insights into the development and integration of these standards. Kooy explains the level certificati...

In this In Case You Missed It episode, we recap an article written by ASID's Lindsey Koren that was originally published on the interiors+sources website on April 9, 2024, that uncovers highlights from ASID's 2024 Trends Outlook Report on refreshing trends emerging in the design of hospitality environments. 

Workplace design has seen significant shifts over the years, from the dreaded cubicle farms of decades passed to open plan offices and the hybrid model we’ve been hearing in the wake of the global pandemic. But where is workplace design now and where is it headed in the future? In this episode, Bethanne Mikkelsen, senior principal at Ankrom Moisan ’s Portland office who co-leads the firm’s office...

In this In Case You Missed It Episode, we’re featuring a popular article from the interiors+sources website titled, “How Today’s Retail Design Influences E-Commerce” written by Nicki Gitlin, the owner and founder of Dang Design and Architecture , originally published online on March 26, 2024. Join us as we dive in to how customers today are familiarizing themselves with retail brands through the t...

Technology has been the focal point of conversation across every industry in the past year, not the least of which has been the field of architecture. In this episode, Jack Chaffin, architect and principal at Seattle-based Johnston Architects , talks about how the firm is leveraging new technologies to enhance their designs and bring a greater level of engagement to their projects. He highlights t...

In this "In Case You Missed It" episode of I Hear Design, Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen reviews two recent articles from the i+s website that explore The Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator, better known as EC3. The first is titled, “ 3 Designers Talk 3 Ways to Utilize EC3 ,” by Lona Rerick, sustainable design leader and architect at ZGF; Marty Brennan, architect, sustainability le...

As the architecture and design industry becomes increasingly familiar with digital design tools and pre-construction services, knowing how they work and what to look for is paramount. How can tools like 3D Revit and digital twins address pain points for project teams, for example? Listen in as Armstrong 's Nate Baxter answers this questions (among others) and explains how digitally assisted design...

In this In Case You Missed It Episode, we’ll be revisiting a popular article from the interiors+sources website titled, “9 Pillars of Thoughtful Project Management,” written by Kimberly M. Zeiser, senior associate in Gensler’s Chicago studio , originally published online on Feb. 1, 2024. Join us as we explore the strategies, tools, and best practices that empower architects and interior designers...

In its annual Design Forecast, global architecture and design firm Gensler identifies eight key trends at play that will help move the industry forward in 2024 and beyond. Stranded assets like offices are being re-thought and re-tooled into residential spaces to help with the housing crisis, for example, and leveraging technologies like AI and creating more engaging experiences will continue to re...

In this “In Case You Missed It Episode,” we highlight a recent article titled, " Perkins&Will Launches Open-Source Tool for Healthier Environments ," that was originally published online on Dec. 11th, 2023 by the i+s staff. Listen in as we describe this new resource for architects and designers that leverages public health data to help better inform design decisions for commercial projects.  -...

What is circularity? That’s a question that we posed to international interior architect and product designer Laurence Carr in this episode of I Hear Design. As the founder and CEO of her eponymous and regenerative design firm in New York, Carr shares her passion and perspectives on upcycling, healthy materials and bio-based materials, and zero-waste product design. Listen in as Carr, an advocate...

What do hand sketching, creating custom furniture and adaptive reuse have in common? They’re all in a day’s work for architect Rachel Robinson, co-founder of New York City based durodeco . In this episode, she sits down with i+s Editor in Chief, AnnMarie Martin, to discuss how her firm got its start, where the design industry seems to be heading in New York (hint: adaptive reuse is on the rise), t...

In this episode, Mannington Commercial 's Roby Isaac discusses what informs his design thinking and guides the design process for the company’s newest introductions; the role of technology in experiential design, including how AI can be leveraged as a design tool; the incredible work Mannington is doing around sustainability and purpose-driven design; and a whole lot more. --- Support this podcast...

Research has demonstrated that unwanted noise in the workplace negatively impacts 70% of employees' concentration levels, productivity, and creativity, with similar results across education, healthcare, and hospitality environments. In this episode, i+s sits down with Slavi Younger, founder and partner of acoustical product manufacturer Fräsch, to discuss the drivers behind the heightened interest...

The Cersaie International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile in Bologna, Italy this past September highlighted the amazing trends and technologies happening in the world of tile around the world. In this episode, Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen sat down with several of his fellow delegates from North America who traveled across the pond to attend this massive, global trade show and came back inspir...

In this “In Case You Missed It Episode,” we highlight a recent article titled, “ Optimizing the Hybrid Learning Experience ” written by staff writer Barbara Horwitz-Bennett that appeared in our September/October issue of  interiors+sources  and that was originally published online on Sept. 29th, 2023. Experts sound off on the best in layout and A/V choices for the most effective hybrid classroom e...

This is it! The fourth and final installment in our Women in Design series. Our very own Editor in Chief of i+s, AnnMarie Martin, sits down for an honest and encouraging conversation with Amber Pickett Wernick of  Perkins&Will 's Dallas studio to learn more about her story of coming up through the interior design and architecture industry and the lessons she's learned along the way about passi...

Times are changing in the interior design industry as more women are taking up positions of leadership in architecture and design firms, like our guest for Part 3 of our Women in Design series, Abby Shehan, senior design director at  Premier  in Dallas. In this episode, Shehan talks about how her internship as a student led to her first job in a design studio that ultimately led her to a leadershi...

As we continue our Women in Design series, we recently sat down with Libby Sims Patrick, founding principal and CEO of the  Sims Patrick Studio  based in Atlanta to discuss her journey to leading the successful hospitality design firm of her namesake. She also talks about the importance of narrative and storytelling and how it has informed her firm's approach to design projects, as well as some of...

Women make up the majority of the more than 80,000 interior designer positions in the industry today, yet only a fraction occupy positions of leadership. Why is that, and what challenges do female designers face in an industry that's still male dominated, especially in the commercial segment? In this episode, Managing Principal Jill Cole of  Cole Martinez Curtis & Associates  shares her insigh...

This month, HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams announced its 2024 Color of the Year: Persimmon. In this mini-episode, host Robert Nieminen discusses the power of color on occupants in the built environment, citing an unusual phenomenon better known as "Drunk Tank Pink." Listen in as he cites a series of articles that explore the role that color psychology plays in designing the workplace and how it imp...

In this “In Case You Missed It Episode,” we highlight a recent article titled, “San Francisco’s LUMA Hotel Celebrates Community and History” written by staff writer Barbara Horwitz-Bennett that appeared in the July/August issue of interiors+sources and that was originally published online on July 24th, 2023.  As Mission Bay’s very first hotel and San Francisco’s first new-build hotel in more than...

In this episode, Chief Content Director Robert Nieminen sat down to chat with classroom furniture manufacturer Artcobell ’s Patricia Cadigan, Vice President of Learning Environments, who recently immersed herself in the design and construction process of Grandview Heights Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia. She worked directly with school administration, including Grandview’s Principal D...